Frank & Tony - Odes

Frank & Tony - Odes
The first song on Frank & Tony's final EP is called "Procession," but it's surprisingly uplifting given the title and context. Anthony Collins and Francis Harris, who started collaborating in 2012, open their last record together with a track that captures what made their output so bewitching. Then it slaps on an extra coat of paint. All the trademarks—a bobbing beat, a zig-zagging bassline, placid melodies—are here. But there's also a newfound boldness, with shinier pads and dense hand percussion that give it extra verve. It's a hint of a more straightforward direction that Collins and Harris might have taken if they weren't going their separate ways.

The other three tracks on Odes are business as usual, which is welcome, if not bittersweet. "This Time," a collaboration with Scissor & Thread labelmate DaRand Land, is the most characteristic of their style of house—a single synth drones in the background for the entire time, while the snare gestures towards sleep. The title track has the same drowsy feel and another weighty but comfortable bassline. The EP wraps with "Surface Prelude," a sepia-toned track that builds without interrupting the duo's careful calm, humble and stunning in its own understated way. It's a wonderful end to a project that made dazzling dance floor moments through subtle and serene house music.